Traveling aspirator system with valving means



Nov- 8. 1969 J. R. SCHEEL ETAL 3,478,668 TRAVELING ASPIRATOR SYSTEM WIT H VALVING MEANS Filed May 29, 1968 2. Shets-Sheet 1 Fig. 2

INVENTORS 4 23 g 4| JOHN R. SCHEEL v 20 f: "u ADOLPH J. NORDMAN,JR

Nov. 18, 1969 J. R. SCHEEL ETAL 3,478,668

TRAVELING ASPIRATOR SYSTEM WITH VALVING ME-ANS Filed May 29, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 L g 5* ta- "77? |9 2% 48 2% 'l I! J 1 11H. 78 W, Hg 1 I7! I |NvENToRs JOHN R. SCHEEL ADOLPH J. NORDMAN,JR.,

QZWMM ATTORNEYS United States Patent US. Cl. 98-115 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A traveling aspirator system comprising a continuously evacuated, elongated header, one substantially vertical wall of which is provided with port means substantially throughout its length, an elongated flexible web associated with the ported wall normally to seal such port means against fluid flow, retainer means carried by the header and arranged along the upper and lower edges of the web and yieldably biased to overlying relation with said web edges, a carriage supported from said header for travel longitudinally relative thereto, said carriage defining a chamber enveloping a short section of said web and internally carrying means engaging the enveloped web section to hold that section out of sealing association with such port means, said carriage being 1 provided with means effective, as said carriage travels relative to said header, to shift said retainer means out of everlying relation to said web edges as said webengaging means approaches and to release said retainer means to return to such overlying relation as said webengaging means departs; said carriage being supported from said header by upper roller means carried by said carriage and bearing upon an inwardly facing surface of a rail upstanding abovethe top of said header and bearing also on the top of the header, and by lower roller 1 means carried by said carriage and bearing upon an out wardly facingsurface of a rail disposed below the ported region of said vertical header wall.

The United States patent to Hawley No. 2,923,227 issued Feb. 2, 1960 discloses a traveling aspirator system in which a continuous web closes a ported wall of an elongated, continuously evacuated header, except in the region of a carriage which is mounted on a header to travel therealong and which is formed to provide a chamber enveloping a short section of the web and carrying means engageable with the web tohold the enveloped section thereon out of sealing relation with the ported header wall.;Thus, the carriage chamber is always in open communication with the interior of the evacuated header, even during travel of the carriage along the header, while all portions of the header except that portion with which the carriage chamber is currently in registry, are efliectively sealed from the atmosphere. Through suitable means, an aspirator hood or its equivalent -is-connected to the interior of the carriage chamber. One form of the Hawley system, illustrated in-FIGS. 3 and 4 ofthe said patent, includes a header whose ported wall is vertical, instead of horizontal, so that the sealing web stands vertically edgewise. That form is so designed in order to facilitate application of the basic concept of the Hawley system to. an arrangement in which the generally-horizontally extending path of the carriage must include one or more curves. Obviously, it is difiicult to manage an elongated Web ofconventional construction in a system and arrangement such as that illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 8 of the said Hawley patent.

In practical. use, it is found that, in installations of the character generally illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the "ice said Patent No. 2,923,227, while such a system performs satisfactorily whenever the header is under continuous evacuation, difiiculties arise during shutdown periods, and particularly in regions wherein the ported wall is on the inside of a curve in the header, in that the web tends to fall away from the header so that, when the system is to be put back into use, it is found to be necessary to initiate header evacuation and then manually reposition the web to cooperative association with the ported wall of the header throughout at least a part of its longitudinal extent.

The primary object of the present invention, then, is to provide retainer means, in such a system, which will prevent the web from thus falling away from the ported, vertical wall of a header of the character here under consideration, and which yet will not interfere with the necessary automatic removal of the web section enveloped in the carriage, from sealing relation with the ported header wall. As a corollary, it is an object of the present invention to provide means, moving with the carriage, which will act upon the retainer means, as the carriage moves along the header in either direction, to render the retainer means in effective in advance of the web section lifting means in the carriage and to permit return of the retainer means to effective condition after the carriage has passed.

A further object of the present invention is to provide improved means for supporting the carriage from the header for travel therealong.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, our invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described or in the specific steps stated, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

FIG. 1 is a transverse vertical section through a header and a cooperating carriage constructed in accordance with the present invention, parts being broken away for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section, upon a somewhat enlarged scale, through the carriage and associated parts of FIG. 1, the header being shown fragmentarily;

FIG. 3 is a vertical elevation of the carriage alone, as seen from the left-hand side of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevation, drawn substantially to the scale of FIG. 1, of the ported header wall and associated parts, parts being broken away for clarity of illustration. I

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that we have illustrated a header indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. Such a header is usually mounted above head height upon support means suggested lat 11, the header extending longitudinally in a general horizontal plane and, in many installations, including one or more curves in its extent as viewed from above. Such curves may be of'varying radii and direction so that, in some installations, the header may be described as sinuous is contour. One or more evacuator conduits, as suggested at 12, may be connected with the interior of the header 10 and will lead to evacuator means such as a continuously-operating blower (not shown), a vacuum tank being included in the connection if desired. The means for maintaining evacuation of the headersforms no part of the present invention and therefore is not illustrated or described in detail.

The header 10 may be of any cross sectional configuration but will preferably include a generally vertical,

outer wall 13. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the header is provided with an upstanding rail 14 formed to provide an inwardly facing surface 15, and with a depending rail 16 formed to provide an outwardly facing surface 17, all for a purpose to be explained.

As shown, the wall 13 is formed to provide an inset portion 18 which is ported, as shown. While the port means may constitute a continuous, longitudinal slot as illustrated in the Hawley Patent 2,923,227, we presently prefer the use of a separate series of slightly-separated ports or openings 19, as most clearly illustrated in FIG. 4, in order to provide improved support for the transversely median portion of the elongated flexible web 20 which is disposed, as shown, against the outer surface of the inset portion 18 of the wall 13. Of course, when the header is evacuated, atmospheric pressure against the outer surface of the web will hold said web in sealing association with the port means of the wall 13 to prevent fluid flow therethrough.

A carriage indicated generaly by the reference numeral 21 is formed to provide top, bottom, end and outer walls defining a chamber 22 which is open at its inner side. Journal mounted within the chamber 22, upon vertical axes, are inner rolls 23 and 24 located near the opposite ends of the carriage and so constructed and arranged as to project peripherally through the open inner side of the carriage, and outer rolls 25 and 26, likewise disposed on vertical axes near the opposite ends of the carriage but adjacent the outer wall thereof, all for a purpose to be explained.

The bottom wall of the carriage is ported and is provided with a reducing connection 27 shaped at its lower end for acceptance of a fitting 28 at the proximal end of a flexible conduit 29 which may carry at its distal end a hood (not shown) such as that illustrated in the above-mentioned Hawley patent, or any other kind of aspirator fixture.

As has been pointed out above, the carriage 21 is adapted to be supported from the header 10 for longitudinal travel therealong. As shown, bracket means comprising two identical straps 30 may be adjustably secured to the top wall of the carriage. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, each such strap comprises a foot portion 31 and a leg portion 32 inclined upwardly and inwardly from said foot portion. The foot portion 31 of each strap is formed with a longitudinally extending slot 33 adapted to be penetrated by two spaced bolts 34 extending through, and secured to, the top wall of the carriage. As will be obvious upon inspection of FIG. 2, when the bolts 34 are loosened, the associated strap may be adjusted, relative to the carriage, in the direction of length of the strap; and when the bolts 34 are tightened, the strap will be held in any selected position of such adjustment.

Near its distal end, each leg 32 carries an axle 35 disposed upon an axis which is substantially perpendicular to the inclined leg and which, therefore, is also inclined between the horizontal and the vertical; and a roller 36 is supported from each such axle for rotation in an inclined plane. The straps 30 are so proportioned and designed as to extend significantly beyond the open side of the carriage so that, when the carriage is arranged with its open side adjacent the wall 13 of the header 10, the rollers 36 will bear against the inwardly facing surface 15 of the rail 14 and against the top wall of the header 21 to support the carriage from the header. Preferably, the peripheral surfaces of the rollers 36 are rounded or radiused as indicated at 37 so that, as the carriage moves along the length of the header, the rollers 36 will have line contacts with the surface 15 and with the top 38 of the header 10.

Axles 39 depend from the bottom wall of the carriage 21, near the opposite ends thereof, and rollers 40 are supported from said axles to rotate in a substantially horizontal plane, said rollers bearing against the outwardly facing surface 17 of the rail 16. It will be obvious that, by adjustment of the straps 30, as described above, the carriage 21 may be positioned, relative to the header Wall 13, so that the axes of the rolls 23 and 24 are parallel with said wall 13.

As is most clearly to be seen in FIG. 2, the web 20 is threaded around the roll 23 away from the header and thus into the chamber 22, thence around the roll 25, around the roll 26 and around the roll 24 back into contact with the offset portion 18 of the header wall 13. Within the chamber 22, therefore, there is enveloped a short section of the web 20, comprising the reach 41 between the rolls 23 and 25, a reach 42 between the rolls 25 and 26 and a reach 43 between the rolls 26 and 24, which is aflirmatively held in spaced relation to, and therefore out of sealing contact with, the ported wall of the header. In this manner, the chamber 22 is main tained always in open communication with the evacuated interior of the header 10.

Referring now to FIG. 4, it Will be seen that we have illustrated a series of retainer fingers 44, longitudinally spaced along the header and mounted, by means of pivots 45, upon the portion 46 of the wall 13 above the inset 18. Each finger 44 is yieldably biased toward its illustrated position, in which a portion thereof overlies the upper lateral edge 47 of the web 20 to restrain the same against movement away from the wall section 18. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, such bias is purely gravitational and is attained by locating the pivots much closer to one end than to the other end of the fingers.

Similarly, a second set of fingers 48 is mounted, by means of pivots 49, upon the portion 51 of the wall 13 below the inset 18. The fingers 48 are similarly yieldably biased to their illustrated positions in which they overlie the lower lateral edge 52 of the web 20. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, such biase of the fingers 48 is likewise purely gravitational and is achieved by providing counterweights upon the shorter ends of the fingers.

The fingers 44 and 48 are arranged at suitable intervals along the header, the lower fingers 48 preferably being staggered relative to the upper fingers 44, as is clearly illustrated in FIG. 4.

Obviously, the fingers of both series must be moved, against their bias, out of overlying relation with the web edges in order to permit the shifting of the chamber-enveloped web section which is illustrated in FIG. 2. To that end, we provide an upper arm 53 mounted upon the carriage 21 to project significantly beyond the adjacent end of said carriage. As is most clearly illustrated in FIG. 3, the arm 53 comprises a base 54 secured inside the chamber 22 near the upper edge therof, a downwardly inclined section 55 extending beyond the carriage end, and a downturned, terminal toe 56. As is suggested in FIG. 3, when the carriage 21 moves toward the left as viewed in that figure, the toe 56 of the arm 53 will engage the fingers 44 seriatim before the carriage reaches them; and each finger 44 so encountered will be swung in a clockwise direction whereby it will be moved, against its bias, out of overlying relation to the adjacent edge of the web 20.

A similar arm 57 is secured similarly to the carriage at its lower edge, said arm 57 comprising a base 58, an upwardly inclined section 59 and an upturned, terminal toe 60. It will be obvious that, as the toe 60 encounters fingers 48, it will turn those fingers in a counterclockwise direction to move them out of overlying relation with the lower edge 52 of the web 20. Thus, as the roller 24 advances toward the left, the web will be progressively relased for movement into the reach 43.

At the other end of the carriage 21 there is provided a similar arm 61 having a base 62, a downwardly inclined section 63 and a downturned toe 64. As the carriage continues to move toward the left, the fingers 44 will ride down the section 63, as suggested in FIG. 3, and ultimately will drop off the trailing end of the section 63 and back into overlying relation with the upper edge 47 of the web 20. Similarly, an arm 65, comprising a base 66, an upwardly inclined section 67 and an upturned, terminal toe'68, is mounted at the lower edge of the right-hand end of the carriage so that, as the carriage passes, the fingers 48 will ride the section 67 and drop off the distal end thereof to move back, under the influence of their counterweights 50, into overlying relation with the lower edge 52 of the web 20, as the carriage passes.

In the preferred form of our invention, an upper guide 69 extends between the axes of the rollers 24 and 23, said guide being formed to provide oppositely inclined end sections 70 and 71 joined by an intermediate, downwardly oflset base 72. It will be clear that, as the axis of the roller 24 passes a finger 44, the distal end of that finger will ride down the section 70, across the section 72, and back up the section 71 of the guide 69. Similarly, a guide 73, comprising oppositely inclined end sections 74 and 75 and a connecting, upwardly offset base portion 76, extends between the axes of the rollers 24 and 23 to guide the fingers 48 in a similar manner.

It will be clear from the above description that, when the carriage 21 moves toward the right as viewed in FIG. 3, a similar, but opposite, action will occur. That is, as the carriage approaches each finger 44, the toe 64 of the arm 61 will engage the finger to swing the same in a counterclockwise direction out of overlying relation with the web edge 47 and each such finger will drop off the arm 53 back into overlying relation with said web edge after the carriage has passed. In the same way, the arm 65 will swing the fingers 48, seriatim, in a clockwise direction out of overlying relation with the web edge 52 before the roller 23 reaches any such finger, and the fingers 48 will drop off the arm 57 after the carriage has passed.

Preferably, the header will be provided with outstanding flanges 77 and 78 between which the adjacent edges of the top and bottom walls of the carriage 21 will be received to minimize leakage.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, an elongated header formed to provide a curve in its length and to provide port means substantially throughout the length of a wall thereof'which is substantially parallel with the axis of curvature of said header, a flexible web overlying said port means externally of said header and normally closing said port means against fluid movement therethrough, a carriage, track means extending longitudinally of said header and supporting said carriage for longitudinal movement relative to said header, said carriage defining a chamber enveloping a short section of said web, retainer means movably mounted on said header adjacent the lateral edges of said web and normally overlying said web edges to restrain the same against movement away from said wall, means carried by said carriage adjacent each end thereof and engageable with said retainer means, as said carriage advances in either direction along said header, to move said retainer means out of restraining relation with said web, means within said chamber engaging the enveloped web section to hold the same spaced from said header wall, and means for continuously evacuating said header.

2. In combination, an elongated header having a substantially vertical wall, said wall being formed to provide port means substantially throughout its length, a flexible web overlying said port means externally of said header and normally closing said port means against fluid flow therethrough, a carriage, track means extending longitudinally of said header and supporting said carriage for longitudinal movement relative to said header, said carriage defining a chamber enveloping a short section of said web, retainer means movably mounted on said header adjacent the lateral edges of said web and normally overlying said web edges to restrain the same against movement away from said wall, means carried by said carriage adjacent each end thereof and engageable with said retainer means, as said carriage advances in either direction along said header, to move said retainer means out of restraining relation with said web, means within said chamber engaging the enveloped web section to hold the same spaced from said header wall, and means for continuously evacuating said header.

3. The combination of claim 2 in which said track means includes means fixed relative to said header and providing, below the lower edge of said web, a surface facing outwardly relative to said wall and means fixed relative to said header and providing a surface projecting upwardly above said header and facing inwardly relative to said wall, roller means carried by said carriage for rotation substantially in a horizontal plane and bearing on said outwardly facing surface, and roller means carried by said carriage for rotation in a plane inclined between the horizontal and the vertical and bearing on said inwardly facing surface and on the top of said header.

4. The combination of claim 2 in which said retainer means comprises a plurality of fingers mounted for independent oscillation about individual, substantially horizontal axes spaced longitudinally along said header, each such finger being yieldably biased toward a position overlying a portion of an edge of said web.

5. The combination of claim 4 in which the fingers positioned for cooperation with the upper edge of said web are staggered relative to the fingers positioned for cooperation with the lower edge of said web.

6. The combination of claim 4 in which the means carried by said carriage and engageable with said retainer means comprises an arm extending longitudinally beyond said carriage to engage said fingers seriatirn and to move the same, as said carriage advances, out of such overlying relation in advance of said means to hold said enveloped web section spaced from said header wall.

7. The combination of claim 4 in which the means carried by said carriage and engageable with said retainer means comprises, adjacent the upper edge of said carriage and adjacent the lower edge of said carriage, an arm projecting longitudinally in one direction and an arm projecting longitudinally in the opposite direction beyond said carriage, said arms being positioned for engagement seriatim, and said carriage moves along said header in either direction, with said fingers to move the same out of such overlying relation in advance of said means to hold said enveloped web section spaced from said header wall and to release said fingers for return to said overlying relation after said holding means has passed.

8. The combination of claim 2 in which said track means includes means fixed relative to said header and providing, below the lower edge of said web, a surface facing outwardly relative to said wall and means fixed relative to said header and providing a surface projecting upwardly above said header and facing inwardly relative to said wall, substantially vertical trunnion means depending from said carriage near each end thereof, a roller journalled -on each such trunnion means and bearing on said outwardly facing surface, bracket means carried by said carriage means and projecting therefrom beyond said upwardly projecting means, trunnion means carried by said bracket means inwardly of said inwardly facing surface, and roller means journalled on said last-named trunnion means for rotation in a plane inclined between the vertical and the horizontal and bearing upon said inwardly facing surface and upon the top of said header.

9. The combination of claim 8 in which the peripheral surface of said roller means is rounded to establish substantially line contact with said inwardly facing surface and with said header top.

7 8 10. The combination of claim 8 in which said bracket References Cited means comprises a substantially rigid strap near each end UN TED STATES PATENTS of said carriage, and means for securing each such strap 2,496,209 1/1950 Hemming to the top of said carriage for adjustment thereon toward 2,693,749 11/1954 Houdek 5 and away from said header, said last-named trunnion 5 2,310,33 10 1957 Sh fi 93 115 means comprising an axle carried near the distal end of 3,064,549 11/1962 Newton 98-49 each such strap upon an axis inclined inwardly and downwardly therefrom, and said roller means comprising a MEYER PERLIN Primary Exammer roller carried by each such axle for rotation about the 10 US Cl.

axis of the associated axle. 9 43 39 

